“Well, the thing about Belikin beer is that it’s perfect.” This was the response of Oswaldo, one of our Belizean waiters, when I noted that the company Belikin seemed to have a lock-down on the Belize beer market. The implied logic of his statement made sense: When you already have perfection in a bottle, why worry about lack of choice?

And indeed, Belikin beer–with its smooth, slightly hoppy, coffee-like flavor–was close to perfect. I drank it like water to combat the Belizean heat and marveled at how quickly it went down–that is until I examined a bottle a little more closely: It read 284 milliliters, which is 9.6 ounces, or better put, about 2.5 ounces less than a standard bottle of Bud. This realization made the lager seem just a little less perfect, until I realized my only problem with it was that I wanted more.

We returned home from our trip to Belize yesterday, and I’m already missing Belikin. The lighter, more effervescent beer options here seem so anemic now in comparison. If I could shake the hand of a Guatemalan beer like Gallo or Brahva, I just know it’d be loose and clammy. Ick.

Nevertheless, while away, I did note a direct correlation between my Belikin intake and my lack of writing. More bottles equaled fewer words–or, at least, clearly enunciated ones. And so, here I am, back home, Belikin-free, and blogging. I’m only happy about one of those three things. Salvador Dalí once said, “Have no fear of perfection–you’ll never reach it.” Clearly, he never had a Belikin in Belize.

My next blog post will be an overview of our stop after Flores and Tikal: Belize’s cave- and jungle-filled Cayo District. You’ll also find out if Shon ate the head of this baby iguana!